Demonstrators set fire to a poster of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, copies of his Green Book and Libyan flags on August 22, 2011. (Getty Images)

(Newser)
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For a guy who loved being the center of a spectacle, Moammar Gadhafi is noticeably missing in action as his regime crumbles. The Libyan strongman hasn't been in the public arena since June, notes Reuters, which outlines the two most likely options: One, that he's fled Tripoli, either to his hometown of Sirte or the welcoming arms of his pal Hugo Chavez. Or two, he's holed up in a bunker in Tripoli. In an audio recording released yesterday, Gadhafi professed to still being in Tripoli and that he would be "with you until the end."

That might be the most likely outcome, an expert tells NPR. Longtime US diplomat David Mack puts Gadhafi's options at two: asylum or martyrdom. The former would have to be negotiated along with a guarantee of immunity, and would likely involve Russia as a destination. "If it were just him, I think he would be attracted to martyrdom," Mack says. "But along with being a political tyrant, and somewhat emotionally erratic, he's also a father and a grandfather. And he cares about his children."